SKATER GIRL , STRANGER THINGS

twenty three

Guns were still firing as Flora blocked the door, Dustin panting as he carried Eleven through the classroom.

"Come on. Come on. Help, help." Mike cleared a long table, Lucas moving to assist Dustin. "Come on, get her on the table."

Eleven lets out a groan, lying on the table. Mike moves close to her, holding her hand. Flora joins the four, satisfied with the miniature blockade she created.

"Just hold on a little longer, okay?" Mike mutters, smiling weakly at Eleven. "He’s gone. The bad man’s gone. We’ll be home soon, and my mom... she’ll get you your own bed. You can eat as many Eggos as you want. And we can go to the Snow Ball."

"Promise?"

Mike nodded. "Promise."

Flora smiled softly, looking between Mike and Eleven. "I remember my Snow Ball. I went with Steve because I didn't want to go with anyone else but he danced with half the girls that night, I ended up in the arms of the guitarist from the talent show." She laughed in reminiscence, "I don't even know who he was."

Eleven smiled faintly at Flora's words, smile falling when the Demogorgon's screeches were heard from outside the classroom.

Next was the screams and gunshots, and then finally: a thud. The screams and gunfire stopped, all attention turning to the barricaded door.

"Is... Is it dead?"

The silence was tense, all parties holding their breath.

And then the door, and Flora's barricade, went flying to the other side of the room.

Flora held up the gun, immediately beginning to shoot. "Fucking hell!"

Mike, Dustin, and Lucas all began to hit each other, fumbling.

"Go, go, go, go!" Mike exclaimed, darting back as Lucas swung his bag from his shoulder, rifling through it.

"Get the wrist rocket! Get the wrist rocket now!" Dustin's voice broke as he screamed, fear evident.

"Go, go, go, go, go!" Mike repeated as he watched Flora shoot the Demogorgon, demonic, otherworldly screams coming from its flower like face.

"Take it out now!" Dustin exclaimed.
Lucas now held his wrist rocket, preparing it for use.

"Get the rocks, get the rocks, get the rocks!"

Dustin nodded. "Getting the rocks!"

Lucas shot once. It had no effect on the Demogorgon. Twice, thrice, still no use.

Flora's government stolen gun ran out of ammo, the blonde pulling out her smaller guns shooting them just as Lucas shot his fourth shot on the wrist rocket.

"Kill it! Kill it!"

"Go!"

And then the Demogorgon flew across the room, hovering against the chalkboard.

The four stood in confusion, staring at the levitating Demogorgon. Eleven then moved through the group, although weak.

She was going towards the Demogorgon, prompting a reaction from Mike. "Eleven, stop!"

She didn't. Instead, the girl flicked her wrist in Mike's direction, sending the boy flying into the cupboards at the back of the room.

She continued on, face set in a steel glare. The Demogorgon thrashed under Eleven's powerful hold. She turned back, looking at the four, but Eleven's eyes were only locked on Mike.

"Goodbye, Mike. No more."

Tears began to flow from Mike's eyes, the same happening to Flora, Dustin, and Lucas.

Their hands slapped over their ears, faces twisting in pain as the girl used all of her power, yhe Demogorgon beginning to glow and disappear. Through the screams and tightly closed eyes, Flora watched as Eleven disappeared alongside the monster.

When everything was over and the only thing that remained was the same ash like particles that Flora and Nancy had seen while in the Upside Down.

Mike raced forward, looking around the classroom which now only had one girl inside. "El? El? El!"

Lucas and Dustin were also crying for the girl. "Eleven!"

"Eleven!"

Flora was looking in any potential crawlspaces, a frown on her face. "El? You here?"

Mike yelled until his throat was raw. "El!
El, where are you? Eleven! El?"

Soon the authorities arrived and took the four from the school, sitting them in the back of ambulances. Mike had one to himself whilst Lucas and Dustin shared one, sitting silently shoulder to shoulder. Flora also had one to herself, the teen having a blanket around her shoulders and her guns in her hands. They thought it was reasonable for her to keep her guns.

The blonde slowly began making her way to Dustin and Lucas, face blank as she found the boys and sat between them, pulling them into her arms as they sat in silence.

Soon she heard the voice of Karen Wheeler, darting through cars and vans in an attempt to find her son, Ted not so far behind. "Michael? Michael! Michael?" She reaches her son, pulling him into her arms with a sob. "Oh, my God. Oh, my God. You’re okay. You’re okay."

Karen, still holding Mike, looked around the area and noticed the trio. Her face lit up, "Lucas! Dustin! Flora!" She smiled kindly, opening her arms.

Flora looked down at the two boys, grinning. "Come on, boys!" Flora basically dragged those boys to Karen, but she knew that the hug they were entrapped in was something that they needed.

Karen looked at Flora expectantly, "Come on, Flora."

Flora smiled slowly, moving into Karen's embrace beside Mike, Dustin, and Lucas. "Thanks, Karen."

The screeching of a car was the next thing the group heard, their attention moving to the people coming out of the familiar vehicle.

Karen let go of the four with a gasp, "Nancy!" She pulled her daughter into her arms. "Where have you been?"

Nancy only let out a soft laugh, looking back at Jonathan and a figure Flora somehow didn't notice.

Flora began to run towards the boy, grinning. "Steven!" He enveloped Flora, burying his bloodied face in her hair.

"I cannot believe you've been battling these weird ass things, Florette." Steve chastised, gaining a scoff from Flora.

"What are you doing here?"

Steve chuckled. "Well, I got all of the spray paint from the signs, and then needed to apologise to Jonathan. Just came at a bad time."

Flora chuckled, "Yeah, no shit."

Nancy came over to the pair, smiling softly. "I guess you two are surprised."

"To say the least."

The group then went to Hawkins General hospital, Flora travelling in Jonathan's car with the other teens as there would not have been enough room in the Wheeler's car.

The hospital was silent, more impatient than awkward. Joyce and Jonathan were in the room with Will, the waiting room having two sets of seats.

On one side of the room sat Flora, Steve, Hopper, and Ted Wheeler, the other side having Mike, a sleeping duo of Lucas and Dustin, Nancy, and Karen Wheeler.

Jonathan soon opened the door, nodding to Mike with a voice just above a whisper.

Mike darted up, waking Dustin and Lucas. "Guys. Guys, he’s up. Will is up. Guys, Will’s up. Guys, come on."

And all was well.